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Economic Downturn (Unemployment)

Thank you for that ruling, Mr. Key. I was responding to the intervention by my hon. Friend the Member for Totnes about the cost of such Committees. It is a fact that the Committee will be very expensive, and I am sure that he and I can use parliamentary questions to gain information about the cost to Parliament. The Opposition’s policy is that regional assemblies and regional development agencies should be abolished, and I am not entirely sure whether such Committees will survive a change in policy if the Opposition win the next election. I am sure, however, that it is a good thing to take Parliament out to the regions so that people have an opportunity to see how it works. Whatever happens to these Committees, the hon. Member for Northavon was entirely right that we need carefully to examine the Committee’s procedures to see whether we can enable our constituents and the public in the regions to become more involved, perhaps by suggesting questions to their Members of Parliament or by putting questions directly to the Committee. A lot of innovative thinking is going on in Parliament on the issue, and I am sure that policy will evolve. As I said, the key test of the Committee’s success is the results that it is likely to produce. I take cognisance of the regional Minister’s comment that although he is responsible for everything, he cannot cut across any Government policy. Although I make no personal criticism of him—he has done an excellent job this morning—I am concerned that his role will mean that the Committee is merely a talking shop and that no effective action will follow. It would be a very bad thing if everybody, including the members of the public who participate in our proceedings, thought that this was just a talking shop and that no positive action would ensue. Let me give the example of the regional spatial strategy, which is a really important issue. The Government introduced this top-down planning policy, which I bitterly opposed on behalf of the Opposition. The Minister who introduced it said that it was the policy of the then Deputy Prime Minister, the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, East (Mr. Prescott). As his creature, it was clearly meant to be a top-down policy. As such, it should be able to deliver results, but if it is not delivering results on affordable housing, I do not know where it will deliver results.